A New Fresh Flavor for Pasta

We had a birthday party for my husband last month.  We had plenty of food and drinks; however, I think the most important ingredient for a successful party is the guest list.  It must include a blend of fun and interesting people.   We sure had it, and that evening our house was filled with good conversation, laughter, music, food and a very happy birthday guy.  

I was especially happy when our friends, Vicki and Barry, confirmed that they would be joining us.  Barry is a wonderful cook, and I knew I’d have the opportunity to pick his brain for one of his original recipes.   Sure enough, Barry told me about one he’d recently created.  He knows we love arugula, and told me about his new pasta creation.  The interesting twist in his recipe was the fried panko.  I’d used it many times for fish, chicken and pork, but never thought of it in pasta.  From the sound of it, I knew this one would be interesting.    

I made it last week.  It’s not complicated and when we dug our forks in we were converts.  

Barry emailed his list of the basic ingredients and I came up with the proportions below.  I followed the amounts exactly and the pasta was perfect.  If you can’t find arugula where you live, fresh spinach or watercress might be suitable substitutes.  I’ve only used arugula. 

 

Pasta with Arugula 

½ lb pasta, cooked al dente (I used linguini)

4 C fresh arugula—leaves and stems included

5 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

3 T unsalted butter

3 T extra virgin olive oil

1 Meyer lemon, juice and zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Fried Crumbs 

½ C panko bread crumbs

3 T extra virgin olive oil 

Cook the pasta to the “al dente” stage.  It will finish cooking when you add it to the sauce. 

To prepare the crumbs:  Line a dinner plate with paper towels.  Heat the oil in a fry pan.  When the oil is hot, sprinkle the panko crumbs in and quickly stir them until golden—this takes literally seconds.  Take the pan off the heat and lift the crumbs out to drain on the paper towels.  Set aside.  

To prepare the sauce:  In the same pan, heat the butter and oil.  Add the garlic and quickly stir to golden.  Add the arugula, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper.  With tongs, turn it in the hot liquid until wilted.  This also takes seconds.  Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep it warm.   

Drain the pasta and add it to the arugula pan.  Add half of the toasted crumbs and toss it all to combine.  Plate the pasta.  Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and top with the remaining crumbs.  Serve immediately.

 

Wow, this was delicious.  If you’re a big eater, this recipe makes two generous servings.  For us, it was enough for four servings.  I served it with a fresh tomato and basil salad and, of course, some French bread and a glass of lovely chardonnay.  I stored the other two portions in sealed plastic containers and it was equally delicious the next day gently heated in the microwave.    

To speed up the process:  Prepare the panko crumbs ahead of time and seal them in a small plastic bag.  Wash and spin the arugula dry, mince the garlic, zest the lemon and juice it, and store everything covered and refrigerated until dinnertime.  The biggest part of the job is the ingredient preparation, and turning it into dinner is a snap.  

Enjoy!

©Pauline Boren 2009